Literally got my butt beat by a guinea today

[Ms Clucky]

That is funny. Not that you got hurt, but it reminds me of an Old English Red Pyle hen I have named Sunny. She is mean when comes to her babies unless I am giving her something to feed the chicks. Very good mom though.

So today was the day. My guinea-wanna be chicken discovered the keets in the brooder cage. AND she wouldnt let any chicken in the coop. (brooder cage is in the coop).
She kept up her racket and her chasing others and her tantrum until I decided today is the day I am moving (away hahaha from her incessant hollering)...the babies to the other pen- a modified dog kennel with branches and a tarp and etc.
So, I reached in and caught baby one, and she flew at me in a psycho cobra ninja motion and beat the tar out of me which made me lose one of the keets in the coop. Well she went over to claim it as her long lost child and I nabbed the last two.
When I went to get the wayward keet, she came at me again and again and I finally grabbed a two X four roost to fend her off,got the baby and ran haha. Blood running down both my legs from the scratches she inflicted and Im sure Ill have many bruises tomorrow.

It took her all day to find out where I moved them. So I opened the pen to let her join her own kind and the keets ( of course) thought she was a pterodactyl - so I let her back out. A couple more weeks and maybe they can all live together.

As for the injured keet- well.. I did try to get pictures. But what I think happened is that it dislocated or slipped tendons in its "ankle". It flexes its toes, it walks from the knee up. Its foot is somewhat out and up and it doesnt use it. But it can roost. And it hobbles. So,it is what it is, hopefully it will be able to adapt and thrive.

 

[sunnie7]

Man you have some aggresssive guineas!

 

[Mom 2em All]

I walked the guinea and her sister chicken down to the guinea pen yesterday morning- she talked a moment to the baby guineas then ran back to her chicks - chicken chicks that she didnt brood ha. While I was at work, something got her sister chicken. Now this poor chicken I didnt find a trace of her. She was not allowed to be in the pen while I was at work because she and the guinea beat up the other chickens. So she, the guinea and lilRoo free range every day. She was the only one who couldnt fly. Well, lilRoo got himself two new girls to follow him around so he doesnt miss her. But, the guinea called for her all evening.

 

[Mixed flock enthusiast]

I walked the guinea and her sister chicken down to the guinea pen yesterday morning- she talked a moment to the baby guineas then ran back to her chicks - chicken chicks that she didnt brood ha. While I was at work, something got her sister chicken. Now this poor chicken I didnt find a trace of her. She was not allowed to be in the pen while I was at work because she and the guinea beat up the other chickens. So she, the guinea and lilRoo free range every day. She was the only one who couldnt fly. Well, lilRoo got himself two new girls to follow him around so he doesnt miss her. But, the guinea called for her all evening.

I’m so sorry to hear that! It’s really hard to lose a bird.

 

[Mom 2em All]

Goodness! What a day you had!
Glad at the end you were able to get some calm.

I work sales all week, my decompress time, my enjoyable off time, is spent with coffee and chickens. Peace. Listening to the guinea not go do guinea stuff, and be a broken record- definitely is not calm and peaceful. So, that became my focus. How to get her to shut up. haha. Or how to get her to go anywhere else on these six acres besides right where I sit and do her guinea nonsense.
Much better this morning, though all the chickens want out and I am not letting them free-range until mid day.

 

[Mixed flock enthusiast]

Very sad to report that I found her feathers- behind the pen and then, ninety percent of her feathers beside the pen in the tall grass. I will never clip another chickens wings- I do not care who demands it. If she could have flown, she would have been inside the pen. Of course, If she wasnt so mean, she would have been inside the pen with the others, as well.

Sounds like you have a lot going on your flock right now. I hope you are able to keep them peaceful and safe so you can drink you coffee and unwind!

 

[Mixed flock enthusiast]

We will probably homestead but we're going to rent until we get familiar with the microclimates and options over there. Big Island. That's the part that I am struggling with so badly-- we can't catch the guineas we have because they rejected our huge airy coop and roost in trees. So we are asking the Universe to have whoever buys our farm want to have the guineas. There are only 7 now. I will sell them hard because ticks are a huge problem in our area and we rarely see any ticks since the guineas came.

Best of luck with the new buyers and with your move! I’m sorry to hear that only 7 guineas remain. I’m curious about how it went trying to combine your new keets from last summer with the established flock?

 

[Victoria-nola]

Best of luck with the new buyers and with your move! I’m sorry to hear that only 7 guineas remain. I’m curious about how it went trying to combine your new keets from last summer with the established flock?

You remember! Before I ever combined the new keets (that were hatched from eggs I bought on ebay-- 7 total hatched out of about 48-- a real disaster), we decided it was time to sell our place and move on. So rather than release those 7 to free-range, we rehomed them as a group last fall to some folks nearby who did keep them initially confined, but 5 died on the road and 1 died on a nest in early spring, so they have a lone male left. Our current 7 are adults incubator-hatched from the eggs from our original group, plus a group from a natural hatch last year. They've had two natural hatches this year and all of the keets were lost, even the adolescent one that survived the first hatch. I rescued one keet that was a day old, could not keep up with the group and was flailing, and the nanny guineas were going in circles in panic as dusk was falling and they were going to have to leave it behind. I picked the keet up and told them I'd take care of her, and the guineas went "yeah ok" and went about their business. She slept a lot (gave her a tented heating pad like a casual mama-heating-pad), and I got her eating and drinking and pooping, which took 3 days, and then entrusted her to the young-adult daughter of the same folks who adopted the guinea group, who is treasuring her. This little keet loves being held and petted and has been named "Pam". So yes, Pam should be in a group, but she was saved from perishing with the others. Those folks have an enclosed, safe chicken yard, and when she's old enough will probably be integrated there (and possibly become friends with the lone male guinea, though they want to protect Pam from predators). The chickens they have are actually my chickens-- we also rehomed our flock with them-- so these chickens already know and respect guineas. I guess that's the full report.

 

[Mixed flock enthusiast]

You remember! Before I ever combined the new keets (that were hatched from eggs I bought on ebay-- 7 total hatched out of about 48-- a real disaster), we decided it was time to sell our place and move on. So rather than release those 7 to free-range, we rehomed them as a group last fall to some folks nearby who did keep them initially confined, but 5 died on the road and 1 died on a nest in early spring, so they have a lone male left. Our current 7 are adults incubator-hatched from the eggs from our original group, plus a group from a natural hatch last year. They've had two natural hatches this year and all of the keets were lost, even the adolescent one that survived the first hatch. I rescued one keet that was a day old, could not keep up with the group and was flailing, and the nanny guineas were going in circles in panic as dusk was falling and they were going to have to leave it behind. I picked the keet up and told them I'd take care of her, and the guineas went "yeah ok" and went about their business. She slept a lot (gave her a tented heating pad like a casual mama-heating-pad), and I got her eating and drinking and pooping, which took 3 days, and then entrusted her to the young-adult daughter of the same folks who adopted the guinea group, who is treasuring her. This little keet loves being held and petted and has been named "Pam". So yes, Pam should be in a group, but she was saved from perishing with the others. Those folks have an enclosed, safe chicken yard, and when she's old enough will probably be integrated there (and possibly become friends with the lone male guinea, though they want to protect Pam from predators). The chickens they have are actually my chickens-- we also rehomed our flock with them-- so these chickens already know and respect guineas. I guess that's the full report.

Sounds like you’ve had an exciting year! Maybe a little too exciting... Your Pam reminds me of @sunnie7 hand raised keet. Thanks for updating us!

 

[Victoria-nola]

Sounds like you’ve had an exciting year! Maybe a little too exciting... Your Pam reminds me of @sunnie7 hand raised keet. Thanks for updating us!

Thank you for your interest. I would love to read stories about hand-raised keets. I've been close-up to quite a number of keets now after doing several incubator hatchings. I've never experienced a keet before who got CALMER in my hands. Who was not the least bit skittish. It allowed me to see who she is much easier. When the young woman came over to pick her up, in the birdcage with the heating pad and all, I brought her out in my hands and handed her to her new human, saying you are going home with L now, and I want you to bond with her. I got the things done I needed to do while L just marveled at her, then took her back in my hands and showed L how Pam was eating and drinking and that she still needed encouragement. After she ate and drank, she came to the middle of the cage door, wanting to be cuddled, which I did. Then it was time to carry the cage out to the truck, where we put it on the backseat. I was concerned that Pam might get thrown around as they were driving, so I got up in the truck and tucked her back in her heated soft cave. Out she popped, sitting up on top of the cave, looking at me a bit but mostly looking forward, straight out the windshield, as if to say, I'm excited about the future and I want to see where I'm going. There I was fearing she would feel afraid and wouldn't bond with a new person, and there she was full of courage, bravely facing forward, letting me know I had done the best thing. I am so impressed with the nature of this bird. Here's a photo from the new family.